Dark Sunday

Today started like yesterday.  I had slept a lot, though, after a couple of episodes of Better Call Saul, not quite as much as the night before, and felt all right but not fully restored.  My innards were still in modest turmoil.  Strangely, but consistent with the previous days, the liver sent no signals of being irritated.  I didn’t eat much for breakfast, and when Flucha started decorating our home for Christmas with the children, I stayed out of the way.I stayed there for much of the day.  It was the slowest day in...

Black Friday

Yesterday was a day to forget.  I spent the first two hours – after the girl trotted off to kindergarten – in hospital.  This marked the third day in a row I’ve shown up there, something I’ve not done before.  When I’ve done poorly in the past, they’ve just kept me there.  The procedure was the same as on the previous day, minus the ultrasound.  I gave a little blood and waited until the results were ready to discuss them with my doctor.Normally, I would whip out my trusty AirBook in a situation like this and do work. ...

No sense in numbers

Yesterday’s saga continues, a conclusion not in sight.  I got a call from my doctor in the morning, asking to be at the hospital at 11 for the blood test and an ultrasound.  As I had the pump running through my port, the nurse who drew the blood had to do it the old-fashioned way, from a needle in my vein.  This is a much less pleasant experience than having a pin pricked into one’s chest, strange as that sounds.The ultrasound was quicker than the one I got last September when the cancer was first diagnosed.  This time, there...

Breakfast before time

On Sunday night I started fasting.  I’ve stopped counting how many times I’ve done this now.  It’s not a big deal if you’re used to it.  If you do it with any regularity, your body knows what’s coming and knows how to react.  It probably adjusts its metabolism somehow.  I never feel hunger.  All I do is have cravings and imagine meals.  I frequently check recipes online.Yesterday towards the end of a long day of working from home, when I stepped out for a short walk to clear my head and exercise my legs, I grabbed...

Ominous sign

I got a worried email from a friend today.  He was wondering why I hadn’t written about the second blood test last week.  This test was supposed to rule out any seriousness of the extraordinarily high liver values a week earlier.  My friend read my silence as an ominous sign and wondered what was going on.Quite right he is.  I had planned to report back on the day of the test – as I should have.  Many readers of this blog are friends who are deeply concerned about my health and well-being.  You draw your conclusions...

Under my skin

These days I’m watching my skin with more attention than ever.  You might not consider this very interesting.  If so, good for you.  Healthy skin is a slow-moving organ.  My skin is not healthy.  It’s suffering from the anti-EGFR antibody.  But like anything alive, it knows to fend for itself.My face looked like every teenager’s worst fear, acne at full bloom, around the second session with Vectibix.  Since then,...

Skin care

The good news is that my face is looking great.  The pustules have not returned.  A few little ones appear from time to time, but they’re hard to spot unless you’re really looking – and who’s looking at me that closely?  The twice daily embalming of my face with nourishing creams has definitely made my skin smoother and softer.  The skin looks and feels better than in years.  I should have started this cosmetics thing much earlier.  The red spots on my shoulders are also much less oppressive than they were a few weeks...